


Eating Alone

by ChampionOfThedas



Category: Mafia (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Italian Mafia, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:09:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampionOfThedas/pseuds/ChampionOfThedas
Summary: In which 'The Death of Art' never happens... because Sam was told to change which target he went after first. Don Salieri wants to deal with this one a little more personally.Paulie wasn't sure what to do with the aftermath.
Relationships: Paulie Lombardo & Sam Trapani, Paulie Lombardo & Sarah Angelo, Tommy Angelo & Paulie Lombardo, Tommy Angelo & Sam Trapani, Tommy Angelo/Sarah Angelo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Eating Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I know I should be working on Vir Bor'assan, but I hit a major several month long case of writer's block. Been trying to work through it to no avail, but I came across Mafia: Definitive Edition (having only played Mafia III before) and fell in love. There is an extremely small number of fics in this fandom to begin with and even fewer about the first game, and one of my friends made fun of me for wanting to read more and not choosing to write any. I thought about it and finally found my muse after the ending of the game broke me. Already there are some pretty strong spoilers and it will continue to go that way, so consider this a final warning.
> 
> Another important note: I'm not sure if there are going to be more ships in this besides Sarah/Tommy. I am a big OT4 fan for this game (Sam/Paulie/Tommy/Sarah for the win) and unashamed of it, but the context of this story might not make it work. I am the kind of person that 100% spends just as much time reading platonic relationships or family (found or blood) fics. So, I'm torn. We'll see where and how it goes.

Paulie wasn’t sure what drove him to it. It certainly wasn’t logic and it felt odd to claim that the action was from a simple sense of loyalty. He, Tommy, and Sam had been brothers for years (it was always the three of them), but everyone had their limits when it came to friendship. Still, when it was closing in on noon the day after the bank job and Tommy had yet to come collect his cut, Paulie worried.

Tommy was almost always punctual. Sure, he could be a bit slow to get around to things without a time limit, but when there was something on the line, he was always first to go, ready to rise to the occasion. This certainly seemed like the kind of situation the man would be early or at least on time for. He was torn between going ahead and skipping town, maybe leaving some money behind for when the surely former capo arrived, but then it would be sitting there for just anyone to grab. Just taking the money and going felt like a shit thing to do, so Paulie wasn’t planning on that either, but time was running out and he could practically hear the clock ticking down. Sure, Don Salieri couldn’t possibly know about the heist yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t learn. The man had ears everywhere. While Tom was good at covering his tracks when he had time, Paulie wasn’t and they had been too busy shooting and running to even try.

Against his better judgement, Paulie decided to go see Tom, check in on him. Maybe the idiot decided to wait on Sarah and Francesca to finish packing before coming to see him; they always took forever to get ready for anything, and, if Sarah knew anything, she would have spent at least three hours tearing him a new one. There’s no way Tommy would have told her about the bank job, she had been a part of the family since she was a little girl and knew the life better than either of them. She is the Don’s goddaughter for Christ’s sake! 

Tommy mentioned that if he ever got pinched, Sarah would leave his ass without question. Paulie wasn’t sure about that, but he didn’t understand their relationship. Both of them were incredibly private people when it came to personal issues. As the thought rang through his skull, the greaser tried to put it out again. It only reminded him of the night on the train when they were talking about robbing the bank and the vulnerability he had shown Tommy. It wasn’t every day that one of your buddies admitted to not wanting to live in the life anymore in such a final manner, but Tom just had one of those faces. Made you want to share everything with him. 

Paulie kept telling himself these things as he drove through downtown, eyes drawn to St. Michael’s Church as the 12 o’clock bells tolled. What if Tommy was already at his place wondering where the hell he was or if Paulie had skipped town with all of the money? He hoped that the brunette wouldn’t think that of him, but it wasn’t unheard of for former friends to do each other dirty like that. This life could make a liar of your best pal, given the right circumstance, and they were certainly in that kind of pickle. As he turned into Oakwood, eyes watching the signs flying by for Gabe Drive, anxiety built up a pit in his stomach. The closer he got to the house, the more he was sure that something was wrong.

It only got worse when he arrived at the actual building. The moment he arrived, Paulie pulled out his piece, being careful not to flash it and receive more attention than was needed right now. Stalking up the drive, he took careful stock of the blood stains that were almost dry on the walk to the front door. They looked more like they had been dripping steadily out of someone that was moving rather than the spray that accompanied a gunshot of the splatter of a skull getting caved in, which was a good sign. Hopefully, the direction of the blood was coming towards the house rather than away from it. If it was the latter, Tommy was gone, and there was nothing else that Paulie could do. Slowly, the former soldato approached the door, and his heart sunk. It was ajar. It was just a small smidge, but there was definitely blood streaking on the side of the door, like someone was clutching at it. All of his caution fled his brain as he stopped bothering with the sneaking and opened the door. The presence of mind that came with being a member of the Salieri crime family for almost two decades didn’t leave him, so he entered the house piece-first, but didn’t check corners as he was usually wont to.

So it took him half by surprise when a larger vegetable knife came out of nowhere and nearly stabbed through his skull. He dodged as his attacker came at him again. Paulie trapped the person’s arms under his, knowing he would be able to hold whomever it was for very long, and almost clocked them in the face, but the sound and feel of long hair scraping against his suit coat stilled his hand. He allowed himself a moment to get his bearings and the last dim hope in his soul died. Sarah’s arms were trapped beneath his and she looked like shit. Her eyes were wet from crying, one side of her face bruised and clothes disheveled and torn. He knew Sarah could defend herself, Tommy told him time and time again, but knowing that she had always managed to get her husband’s blood going. No one was allowed to make Sarah Angelo feel unsafe. It had gotten Paulie’s up too in this moment, both the fact that she had even needed to and what it implied about the situation.

“Sarah?” he asked as she broke from his grip and went at him again. “Fuck!” Paulie exclaimed as he tried to grab at her again, but only managed to grasp in the air. She stabbed and ripped open the sleeve of his coat, almost nicking skin. Before he could properly put some space between them, there was a slash at his face that did manage to get his cheek before he got completely out of the way. Another swing and he managed to knock the blade out of her hand, but she immediately retreated to the kitchen... where more knives were. “Sarah! What the hell!” he yelled, running after her. 

As he burst through the archway, a pan swung out at his face and he ducked behind the counter as she kept scurrying past. The clack of heels on the floor was absent, but her steps were even. She was barefoot, which made it likely this had not been her first fight. Paulie whipped out his arm, aiming for an ankle, but received a kick at his neck instead. Luckily, he managed to roll and have it connect with his chest. So, he was still winded, but he wasn’t desperately clutching at his throat.

Eyes watering, he leaned back up onto his knees and came out from behind the island counter, but she had another and was brandishing it. “Keep your fucking distance, Paulie!” she spat.

“What is going on?” Sarah didn’t move, eyes glittering. “Where’s Tommy? What happened?”

Her eyeballs flickered dangerous around the kitchen as she tried to gauge her next move. “Like you wouldn’t know! Bastard!” She gripped a vase full of flowers, freshly cut and likely grabbed by Tommy as a gift for her after their job yesterday, and flung it across the room, which smashed into the far wall. Water drenched his suit, the flowers now dying on the tile floor.

“I don’t know!” His pleading face must have seemed genuine enough for her as her posture lowered slightly. She was still poised with her knife, ready to lash out, but seemed slightly pacified. 

“You- you don’t?” Her voice was small, much sadder and more hopeful than he had ever heard her before, even at her wedding. “I-I thought…”

Well, now he was just confused. Paulie didn’t like feeling confused. “What did you think?”

“This morning, Tommy was talking about leaving town. He wanted me and Francesca to pack our bags, go to the shore. He mentioned that the two of yous had recently come into some money, some scheme of yours working out. He was more nervous than I have ever seen him.” She grimaced. “He wouldn’t tell me what was going on! Just said I shouldn’t worry about it! But then someone came knocking as he was leaving and beat him up before dragging him outside to a car. He tried to fight back. I tried to fight back.” Sarah leaned all of her weight against the back counter, knife loosely held in her hand. “They threatened me and Francesca. They were going to take us too, told me they wouldn’t hurt us if Tommy cooperated, but I took exception to that. I broke away and got ahold of his spare gun and started shooting at the sons of bitches, but they managed to get away.” Giving a watery smile, the Don’s goddaughter gestured casually towards the gun laying beside her. “He doesn’t like keeping anything in the house on account of Francesca. Perfectly capable of taking care of guys with just a couple of clips, my husband.”

Paulie sniffed, entire body hammering against him in protest with fear and anger. The Don always says those that get angry get sloppy, but anger had always cleared Paulie’s head, making everything sharper. Still, this was not the time to give into it. Instead, he did what he did best: cracked wise. “Don’t let him fool ya, he’s not nearly that capable. Just steals the guns off of the other dudes once a couple of ‘em are dead.” It wasn’t really a joke, but Sarah huffed a small laugh just the same. Now, there were a couple of more matters he needed to address. “Where’s Francesca?” he asked, because Tommy loved two people in this world more than anything and that was Sarah and his baby girl. 

“Upstairs. I didn’t want her seeing her dad’s blood, and I certainly didn’t want her to be nearby in case I had to fight anyone. She knows to be a good girl; her dad and I do drills on occasion to show her what to do in case the house ever got attacked or broken into.” Smart parents and smart girl for obeying her ma. At least, he assumed she was as he hadn’t seen hide or hair of her. Could be that she was just better about being sneaky than he thought. Paulie always heard that he didn’t have many of those. 

For a moment he hesitated, the words she spoke earlier smarting with the immediate concern of Tommy’s baby girl’s safety out of the way. “You thought I might’ve had something to do with this?” Her face contracted and twisted. There was something she wasn’t telling him, and the thought anchored itself in his head. Why would she think he would’ve done anything to Tommy? They’ve been brothers since Tommy joined with the family. “Sarah, this is very important.” She nodded. “Did you recognize any of the guys?” Sarah nodded again and stopped meeting his gaze entirely. “Who?” he asked, but dread had settled in.

“Paulie, I don’t-”

“Who, Sarah?”

Resigned, she told him. “Giovanni was here, alongside Donnie and Little Tony.” A moment passed, but just as soon as Paulie was about to reply, she struck the final blow. “Sam was leading them.”

“Sam?” Paulie whispered, disbelief clearly showing on his face. 

Sarah’s suspicion evaporated and she put the blade down. “Yeah.” He didn’t respond. “I’m so sorry Paulie. He was the one that came up to the door, so Tom didn’t know to fight back until they were already dragging him out. I thought, since the three of yous were friends, partners, but you two were closer that he had done it for you.”

“No, Sarah, I-” Paulie collapsed against the counter. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know that he knew we had gone through with it.”

“Through with what?”

He looked into her eyes and knew that anything less than the truth would likely have her pick up the blade again and she would surely knife him. “I was talking to Tommy and Sam about robbing a bank. Both of them said no because Don Salieri would never agree, but I figured I’d do it anyway.” Tommy was right. She was pissed now that she knew about it, but he held up a hand to keep her from saying anything. “I wanted the money to try to go straight and the Boss… did something that made Tommy want out too. He agreed once he heard the plan and we went there together. Sam knew that I wanted to but he promised not to say anything. We agreed that I’d hold onto the money until this morning and then we’d skip town as soon as we could, before anyone found out.”

Grimacing, Sarah declared, “The Don did something that had the both of yous losing your trust in him.” He opened his mouth, but she interrupted, “That’s a conversation for later, Paulie, when we are out of this situation. I’m guessing that Sam squealed or the Don suspected something was up when he heard the news. He’s coming after you both as cheats.” There was a sigh, and then she sprang into action. “Francesca and I need to leave. We may be family, but the Don does not tolerate cheats and you know how examples are set in this life.” Yeah, he did. First you went after the traitors, and then you went after their families. He, Tom, and Sam had done it a thousand times, especially Tommy. After proving himself with Frank and his conduct during Paulie’s whiskey deal, Don Salieri had taken a special interest in his capabilities, often sending him on missions to rub out more difficult targets. The boss would’ve taken a betrayal on Tommy’s part very personally. 

That was what got to him. “Why didn’t they kill you guys, then and there?”

Sarah was in the middle of packing up kitchen essentials, but still responded to his question. She was good like that, efficient. No wonder Tommy liked her. “I don’t know, but if the Don had Tommy taken back to the bar, I worry. Francesca! You can come down now sweetheart!” The patter of feet ran from upstairs and started down to the ground floor. “If I get a chance, I’ll try and contact my father. Not sure what’ll be able to do, but at least I could get some more information. You!” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “You don’t try anything! Doesn’t matter if he went after Tommy first, you were probably next. It’s a good thing you came here when you did; they were definitely on their way to cap you.” 

Francesca, with her big hazel eyes and brunette curls, skipped down the last step in socked feet, gaze trailing the blood on the door before running up to him. “Uncle Paulie!” she cried, arms reaching out for him.

She was so light when he picked up her, barely weighing anything at four years old. “Hey there Frankie!” he greeted and twirled her around. As he held her, he tried to face her away from the carnage at the front door. A kid shouldn’t have to see something like that. “How do you feel about goin’ on a trip?”

“Daddy said we was goin’ to the shore! Are you coming, too?”

Fuck. Sarah stopped behind Francesca’s field of vision and slowly shook her head. She didn’t want Frankie to know, but for a kid, she was pretty smart. He bounced her lightly and said, “Sure thing, kiddo!”

“Uncle Sammy took daddy away, but he said he’ll be back soon.” Apparently Sarah hadn’t expected that, hadn’t known that Sam had said that, because he watched her panic and then motioned for Paulie to hand her baby girl back over.

“We best be packed and ready by then,” Sarah declared, her smile just barely not a grimace. “You know how Uncle Sammy doesn’t like to wait.” She went upstairs with Francesca and Paulie pulled out a kitchen chair to sink into. He looked out to his car through the window where a big load of cash and the shit he packed were waiting. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Only two people in the world that Sam allowed to call him Sammy: Paulie himself (only under special circumstances) and little Francesca. Here he had gone and taken that special little girl’s father away from her. Here he had been, prepared to threaten Frankie and Sarah all to keep Tommy in line. Goddammit Sam. What happened to being brothers? Was all that the three of them had been through all for nothing?

It took about twenty minutes for the girls to get their packing done, Francesca holding a small stuffed bunny that Paulie had gotten her for her birthday. It warmed his heart a little, but in a quiet sad way as he remembered all of the good times the trio had together, especially after Tommy had gotten married and had a family. They never admitted it, but both Paulie and Sam had lived a little vicariously through that relationship, neither of them interested or able to hold one down themselves. Sarah and Francesca were family.

At least, that was how Paulie had interpreted the relationship. Maybe Sam had felt differently. 

So here he was, holding the daughter of one of his best friends in his arms, walking by his wife as she carried a few suitcases, the bare essentials of life no longer theirs. They were walking towards his car, where his own belongings waited alongside a large bag of money. As Paulie hauled their belongings into the trunk and Sarah strapped in Francesca, he wondered how he had gotten to this point. In the end, it didn’t matter. He drove away from the house Tommy had spent forever working on getting money for, the life Tommy had built for himself off blood money and pain (his own and others). Just last night, Paulie and Tom had been talking about getting out. Tommy had wanted to move to somewhere quieter so his family could grow; Paulie wanted a little pizzeria to make one of his own. Aspirations of getting something bigger fell away in less than a day. A couple of hours was all it took to ruin everything.

><><><><><

Getting out of town was a lot easier said than done. Unfortunately, part of the issue was that neither Sarah nor Francesca were willing to leave. Honestly, Paulie wasn’t either. Tommy was still back there, but he would probably string Paulie up if he knew that he didn’t get them to safety. That was where Sarah’s stubbornness came in.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she yelled from the passenger seat when she saw he was heading out of town.

“Look! There’s nowhere I can hide you in Lost Heaven! The Don had informants everywhere and almost every hotel and motel on the books. The best thing I can do is get you out of the city.”

“Almost!” she spat. “Why aren’t we going there?”

“Because…” He blanked. Had Paulie really just likened the Blue Tropics to a motel in his head? Woof. That said something about how often he stayed the night there. “Okay so there’s not actually an almost.”

“Paulie,” Sarah warned. “If there is somewhere that we can stay the night and not be bothered, then we’re going there. I’ll happily use some of Tommy’s cut to pay for them to allow us to stay and keep quiet about it.”

“Um,” he hummed as he felt her stare at him. “It’s a cathouse.” 

“Really.” It was flat and Paulie wasn’t sure if she was angry or just unimpressed. 

“Well, a gentleman’s club?”

Silence. 

“I’m sorry?”

Sarah sighed. “Take us there, why don’t ya. It’s better than leaving town without my husband.”

“But Tommy-“

She waved a dismissive hand in his field of vision. “What Tommy doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Well that was patently untrue. “Besides, most brothels are a good way to get information through bumping gums.” It was fair, but he was pretty sure he was the only member of the family that went to the Blue Tropics. 

Paulie took a deep breath and sighed. “I suppose it’s better than staying in Little Italy.” And then he turned the car around. Now he regrets every time he and Sam ganged up on Tommy because he did as his wife requested instead of going out with them. She was the stubborn sort. He parked at the edge of the city so they could switch cars; his was too recognizable. Then, they made their way to the central island where they would get started on a plan for getting back Tommy.

><><><><><><

Knowing that you’re bringing your best friend’s wife to a cathouse becomes a very different beast once you actually get there. Paulie had been there often enough that the girls recognized him on sight, which seemed to amuse Sarah more than irritate her. The girls themselves were increasingly confused (and a couple even upset) when he helped Sarah and Frankie out of the car. Lottie, one of the girls he picked whenever he just needed to be a sap and talk instead of get busy, rushed into action and got a few of her friends to help mind Frankie while the rest helped Paulie with the luggage. He was careful to keep the money bag on him, proud that he had the foresight to repack into a suitcase. 

Lottie took him aside while the others occupied Sarah. “What are you doin’ Paulie, bringing another man’s wife to a whorehouse?”

“Look!” he hissed, because of course she guessed who Sarah was. “I was trying to drive her out of town.” He gestured for her to lean closer, thankfully she did. “The Don had Tommy nabbed. He was going to gun for his family next, that’s how this life works. Tom would kill me for not protecting them, but Sarah wouldn’t leave without Tommy.”

As he spoke, Lottie made the face she always did when he talked about Tommy, Sammy, Sarah, or Frankie. He never knew if she thought he was dumb or was sad because he had a family that wasn’t really his. It had been a discussion once or twice. “So Tommy has been taken by the Don. What happened? Usually the crime families don’t take people unless they need information from them. Not to mention they usually grab everyone close to them, not just the target.”

Paulie glanced away, the sense of responsibility for the situation settling over him as well. “It was my idea. I wanted to get this final big score, something to get me out of town and into a new life. The Don broke our trust, and Tommy was willing to join me. Wanted the same thing. I guess, Tommy being a capo and all with me just being regular ole joe, he took more offense to Tommy cutting him out.”

She looked aside to Sarah and Frankie with a deep frown. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Lottie held Paulie’s gaze, “I’m not sure I’ll get the Madame to let them stay, but I’ll try.”

“I have money,” he added, and several girls nearby began noticeably listening in.

With a twinkle in her eye, Lottie patted him on the shoulder and began pulling him inside. “I’m sure that will help.” She pulled him inside for negotiations, probably the most important he would ever be a part of. He wished that Sam or Tommy were here, they were always better with words and when to use them. Paulie could make friends out of drunkards, sure, but Sam could charm the pants off of anybody and Tommy had, over the years, learned to find small tells that let him pick apart a person’s argument and get to the root of their motivations.

It hadn’t helped him with Sam though. Despite his talent, Tommy was trusting of people who showed their good intentions at least once. He had been just as ready to make excuses for Don Salieri about the dope as he probably would have been for Sam busting into his home. Paulie couldn’t afford to do that anymore.

><><><><><><

The Madame, who consistently refused to give her name to him no matter how much he asked, agreed to house Sarah and Frankie with much more ease than he expected. Sarah was a large part of that, as she agreed to cook and clean for the place as well as perform a few repairs, which freed up the working girls to, well, work or have some time for themselves. Even the story behind the two being out of their home didn’t deter Madame, despite how much going against the head of a crime family was dangerous for her business. Apparently, she was ‘sympathetic’ to their plight. Paulie still had to pay a fee of rent at $20 a night for all three of them, but with all of the money from the robbery, they could afford it for a little while. Paulie didn’t even bother trying to split it between what was providing for Tommy’s family and himself. He and Tom could split what was left, and he was happy to help take care of them.

They received adjoining rooms in a place further away from all of the action (to protect Frankie’s little ears). She was a curious tyke and had already charmed many of the dames working with her inquisitive nature and lack of judgement. That’s what happens when a capo and a don’s goddaughter raise a little girl. They told Sarah that if she needed anyone to watch over her kid, they wouldn’t mind; Francesca was a gem.

While Frankie was occupied, Sarah came up to him. “Paulie, what’s our goal here?”

He blinked. “To get Tommy back, of course.”

“And just how are we going to do that? Do you have a plan?” He stared at her and it occurred to him that was probably something he needed to get started on. “You don’t have a plan?”

“I don’t have a plan. My usual is to go in and bust heads, but that doesn’t seem like a good one right now.”

“No, it wouldn’t be, and I’m glad you recognize it.”

Paulie shrugged. “I’m open to suggestions?”

Sarah gave him the smile he was pretty sure that Tommy had warned him about on more than one occasion. It was one she flashed when she was planning on making mischief, when she had an idea that promised trouble for someone. He had never seen it on her face before, but Sarah could be just as stone-faced as her husband (and often was) when the moment called for it. “I have a few.”


End file.
